Folds to Make an Origami Clover
by Nev Longbottom
Summary: Yuuri goes back to Hasetsu with a baby and a string of failures behind him. An AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Now arriving at Otoyame, next stop Hasetsu." The computer generated voice finished speaking moments before the train doors opened. Yuuri stepped through the sliding doors and hovered on the other side for a moment. If Yuuri got back on, he would be getting out at his home station and it would be a short walk home. If he walked back to Hasetsu from Otoyame, there would be less of a chance for someone to run into him.

The doors to the train shut. There was a hiss of air and then just as quick, the train was gone. The smell of burning plastic still hung in the air at the Otoyame station. There was a turnstile in a far corner by the exit and over on the far wall, there was a huge poster advertising last year's annual Otoyama cherry blossom viewing festival.

There was a faint scent of urine mixed in with the plastic smell, though Yuuri wasn't sure if the smell came from the station or from Shouri. He touched the bottom of Shouri's front carrier, checking for moisture and bent his head down to take a whiff. Baby urine.

Yuuri changed Shouri's diaper in the first restroom he could find. Shouri's diaper bag necessities had been packed away in one rolling suitcase. Shouri woke up briefly for the change and then fell asleep again after being placed back in his carried for a walk.

Shouri had spent most of the flight from Detroit to Tokyo tucked away in his front carrier and being bounced in the back of the plane when he was too fussy from his bottle to be quiet. The flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka, however, had been a nightmare. Shouri screamed himself hoarse and spent the entire approach to Fukuoka making distressed mewls into Yuuri's chest. It had taken a while for Shouri to fall asleep again.

Yuuri hadn't walked through Otoyama in year. The last time must have been when he went with Mari to watch her girlfriend play in a basketball game. There was a new stretch of apartment buildings towered in the northeast but otherwise, no real change.

The walk was nice. Otoyama kept their roads clean and the smell of the ocean wafted along the side of the road. The vines were only start starting to set out flower buds. The road itself was fairly empty besides the one or two people driving in the middle of the afternoon. The cars felt smaller than they used to be, especially after all the rides he'd taken with Phichit in his old Dodge Ram.

Yuuri watched the cars go by, feeling a little strange when he noticed one white Toyota, coated in stickers, pull over by the side of the road in front of Yuuri. The rear of the car had a strange vertical flower drawn in the grime that looked familiar. The close Yuuri walked to the car, the more dread he felt. He reached back to pull his hoodie over his face and run his fingers over the medical mask covering his face and mouth.

The passenger window rolled down. A shock of electric blue hair came into view, and a high pitched voice said politely, "Would you care for a lift?"

Yuuri took a step back and said "No thank you!" a little faster and louder than was really polite. He walked away quickly and felt a shock of cold fear roll down his spine.

"Come on Katsuki, it's like three degrees out and you've got a baby." A hand reached up to push back the shock of blue hair. Yuuri was able to make out a familiar face. The stranger had a sharp angled nose and a birthmark staining a cheek under the right eye. There were laugh lines in the corner of her eyes, but the smile on her face was the same, pulling up a little bit at the right corner and with more self-satisfaction than anyone had the right to have.

Yuuri stepped forward and leaned in. "Kobayashi Nana-sempai? I didn't recognize you. How are you?"

"Fine," she snapped, gesturing with her thumb to the passenger seat. "Get in the car. I've got a baby seat in the back. Strap the midget up and get in."

Yuuri knew he had been backed into a corner. "Thank you, Koba-

"Oi! What ever happened to Nana, brat?" He heard through the mop.

"Thank you, senpai." The door let out a quiet pop and Yuuri didn't hesitate to open and set Shouri in. His son let out an unhappy whine. Yuuri murmured a soft apology and let himself into the front passenger seat. He could feel his anxiety just as sharp as ever.

"Oi," Nana said, eyes shining as her mouth pulling up at the corner. "You know how I feel about bullshit gratitude. This is basic fucking decency." She clicked her tongue piercing against her teeth. She started the car back up before Yuuri got a chance to try and buckle himself in. "So, Katsuki-chan, did you knock someone up?"

Yuuri flinched so hard his head hit the window.

Nana turned to look at him and laughed so far the car swerved dangerously to the right. He had forgotten how scandalous Nana could be."Fuck, I should have waited until a light to ask you. A straight edge kid like you? No way you'd ever get someone in trouble. Man, I remember the first time some gaijin gave you a tip at the onsen. You started to cry because you thought you were stealing her change. You were, what? Six? Seven?'

"Fourteen," Yuuri muttered.

"Fourteen? Same difference." Nana said, corner of her mouth twitchy. "So, did you knock someone up? Did get the stick out of your ass and knock you up?"

Yuuri felt his throat constrict. He couldn't breath. His hands reached for his throat pulling at his scarf and trying to get air in. He couldn't-

He faintly hear Nana pull over and rush to open the door, murmuring soft words and running her fingers through his hair. He had to breath through his mouth in the end because his nose was completely stuffed and Nana's shoulder was soaked. "Sorry, brat." Nana murmured. "I didn't realize it was a sore subject. Your kid's super cute. So there's that."

"Thanks, Nana." Yuuri had thought he had already cried all his tears, emptied out in the slow, gradual failure of his career. Clearly, he had been wrong.

"I've got two bastards myself, ya know, so I'm not judging you on that front. You good to drive?"

Yuuri sniffled and moved his face mask in order to wipe his nose with his sleeve. "Yeah." Nana looks him over oddly and then starts the car again.

"Okay, we're going to detour and grab some alcohol, then we're dropping the kid off with my babysitter and getting druuunk."

Yuuri shook his head and looked down at his feet resting on the crumb and dirt filled floor mat. His parents were waiting for him and Shouri. Today was supposed to be the first day they met their grandchild. Yuuri sniffed. "We should really head home."

Nana tapped her fingers along the gear shift. She groaned loudly and turned the engine back on. "Fine, brat, but I'm picking you up tomorrow and dragging you out for drinks."

Yuuri thought longing of the ice rink. What he needed right now was to be alone on the ice. He wanted to say no. "That would be nice," he murmured instead, and felt a ball of misery turn his stomach.

The drive was quiet, in between sessions of Nana beeping her horn at people. It's not far to his home, but in the village roads it's better to drive slow than hurry. As the road lead into Hasetsu, it's almost like time travelling. Everything looks the same. The pharmacy sign still flickers every few seconds. The gas station still has a trio of high school girls outside with loose socks and fingerless gloves with spikes sitting over the knuckles. The boats were resting in their dry docks and the statue outside of the train station still beckoned its people home.

The changes Yuuri could see were small. Vape pens instead of cigarettes. People texting on cell phones as they walked down the street. One old laundromat looked like it had been converted to a cafe. The old stationary store was replaced with a convenience store. A couple of apartment buildings listed advertisements for satellite offices of major businesses. Even then, that was nothing new. They drove past the sign for Minako's ballet studio and Yuuri traced his fingers over the reflections of the kanji in the window.

Nana pulled up the car in front of his home and pulled him into a hug before Yuuri had a chance to release his seatbelt.

She pulled him close a second time and ran her fingers in his hair, "You can always come to me with your problems, shitstain. Okay?"

Yuuri nodded, his throat suddenly too tight to say anything. He waiting until she started to let go and opened the door and got out before she could stop him. He had to get away.

He unbuckled Shouri from the backseat. Shouri let out an unhappy cry from being woken up. Yuuri cupped his free hand over the back of Shouri's head an closed the door with his knee. "Thank you for the ride, Nana."

Nana sniffed and rubbed her forearm across her face. "For fucks sake Yuuri," she snapped, sniffling. "You know how I feel about bullshit gratitude." She drove off before he could say anything else. It was probably for the best. Yuuri was never sure what to say in response to Nana.


	2. Chapter 2

The lettering on the Yutopia sign had been recently repainted. Yuuri can tell because they only repaint the sign once a year and it never stayed that shade of white for long. He glanced over at the potted plant holding an ashtray. No cigarette butts, which meant Mari hadn't taken her break yet.

Yuuri paused a few steps away from the main entrance and glance over the the side. He could go in through the service entrance around the side. There was even the alley way, if he was willing to wait until it got dark so he could slip in through the entrance. Yuuri knew he was being ridiculous. The lights were on. He had already flown all this way, why was this part so hard?

"Yuuri!" cried a voice from behind.

Yuuri jumped, hand automatically coming up around Shouri in the front carrier. The night was darker after having adjusted to the bright lights of Yutopia. It took him a few minutes to realize make out the figure in the dark. "Minako-sensei?"

She waved at him with her free hand and then unfurled a banner. "Stop skulking in the dark and come over here! Welcome home." The banner was big enough to block her entire head when she unfurled it. Yuuri was spelled with big thick katakana in her awful handwriting. He had missed it when he left home.

Yuuri knew he should have been happy to see her. "This really isn't necessary, sensei." He tried to say. The words got stuck in his throat.

Minako put the banner down and shoved it under her left arm. "When are you hiding him? Baby, baby, baby!" Yuuri unzipped his jack just low enough for the top of Shouri's head to he visible.

Minako made a cooing noise. "He looks like a squashed potato." She said, sounding delighted. "He's hideous."

Gee, thanks, Yuuri thought, what every parent loves to hear.

Her hand twitched in Shouri's direction, "I love him. He's my favorite ugly potato," Minako said, finally making up her mind and tapping Shouri's little nose with her free hand.

The wind blew across Yuuri's exposed neck, making him shiver. "I should get him inside," Yuuri said.

Minako wraped one of her arms around his shoulder and steered him in. Her arm was a heavy weight against his back. Yuuri couldn't help but feel like she was pinning him in place to keep him from running.

He heard his mother before he ever saw her. There was no grey in her hair but Yuuri was pretty sure his mom had a different hair color before he left. Dad on the other hand looked a little rounder than before. "I'm home," he mumbled in between hugs from both of them. They took turns, hugging Yuuri until Shouri was awake and fussing a bit.

"Can I take him?" Mom asked and his hands were unfastening the clips before his mouth could say, Thank you. Yuuri had just enough energy to apologize for being tired before he fell asleep taking off his shoes. He woke up to Dad shaking his shoulder and telling him to go to bed.

"Shouri?" Yuuri asked, putting his right foot into a left slipper.

"Grandma Katsuki has him. Go to bed, " Mom said.

Yuuri mumbled something that he wasn't sure was a word and went straight to his bed without changing any of his clothes. He slept sixteen hours and woke up wearing all his clothes and feeling the most rested he has ever felt in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

Yuuri's old room was exactly how he remembered it: covered in posters of Victor Nikivorof. He ran his fingers over the the lips of the closest poster. Even if the reality of meeting Victor had been disappointing, he couldn't help but still love him. Yuuri spent most of his days in a fog of crushing disappointment after Sochi. Who could blame him, after the string of losses that came after. There were long periods of time where Yuuri hadn't been able to do much more than sleep and lay in bed before Shouri came. Phichit used to make Yuuri get out of bed by playing videos of Viktor just out of Yuuri's sight. It never failed.

Oddly enough, Yuuri thought as he traced the outline of Victor in his blue roses, it was probably really lucky that he hadn't met Victor properly. Now Yuuri can never disappoint him.

With that comforting thought, Yuuri dug out an old pair of house slippers from his closet and went down to the kitchen to see if he could find someone.

Mari was plating dishes when Yuuri slid open the door. The corner of her mouth twitched. She sprinkled some kind of herb over the plates and nodded in his direction. "Hey," she murmured.

"Good morning," Yuuri said, smiling faintly at her.

His older sister had never been much for words. She was Yuuri's rock. A calm, quiet presence that was there to dry his tears and to plaster his cuts and scrapes when he was hurt. Mari never used three words when one would do. He wanted to go over there and drab the edge of her sleeve in both hands like he used to.

He didn't.

"Mom's got Shouri." Mari gestured her head in the to the right, towards their parents room." "The crib's in their room." Mari turned toward him and stilled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Welcome home." She popped the dishwasher open with one hands and started to load the pots and pans from the sink.

Yuuri reached over to help. Mari pushed his hand out of the way as he reach for the pot in her hand. He grabbed a fist full of fabric from her sleeve.

Mari looked down and then pressed her hand over his, tightening his hold on the fabric.

Yuuri felt his face warm. "Thanks," he murmured.

They worked together, one handed to put the dishes away. Yuuri had to let go eventually to help Mari load the breakfast plates on to the serving cart. He helped her pack six ordered of breakfast mackerel and three more orders of the okayu special. "Busy morning, huh. I hope SHouri and I aren't getting in the way."

Mari gave him an easy smile, " Nah, don't worry. This way Dad and Chairman Nishigori will stop asking for heirs."

Yuuri let out a small bark of laughter, "Oh man, I forgot about that."

Mari, as the oldest, was set to inherit Yutopia. She made it pretty clear that she was uninterested in dating when she was a teenager, firmly telling all interested parties that she was an herbivore. Their father had started a steady campaign in response in favor of single parenting as a result.

Chairman Nishigori had found out about it and made a point of handing Mari with documents on fertility clinics every time they ran into each out. He had been loudly concerned about the population decline in Hasetsu for as long as Yuuri could remember and he had an alarming habit of cornering young adults in the village and lecturing them about reproductive responsibilities to the community. Mari started scrapbooking the pamphlets in response.

"Shouri can inherit everything." Mari reached into one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a pack of cigarettes to tuck into he apron. "You gonna help out in the hot springs?"

Yuuri moved the last bowl of miso on to the chart and stepped back. He hadn't thought about what he was going to do. He just knew he couldn't keep skating and he couldn't raise Shouri without help. "I don't know. I haven't given it much thought. I know I want Shouri to grow up here but otherwise…"

"You got your degree. You've got options. Don't feel like you have to become a stay at home parent because of Shouri. If you want to do that, I'll support you. If you want to skate, I'll support you too." Mari gestured for Yuuri to step out of the way.

Yuuri considered going back out to help her serve breakfast, but his family uniform was upstairs. He still needed to pay his respects to his dog and he should get Shouri before his son became too much of a burden. Shouri wasn't able to sleep through the night. Yuuri counted himself lucky if Shori could sleep five hours straight.

The hot springs were more crowded that usual. Yuuri had spent most of the day greeting people he could barely remember and trying to keep Shouri from getting over stimulated. Yuuri had just finished setting Shouri down for a nap when he spotted Minako was in the Yutopia bar that afternoon.

Minako was holding an empty shot glass as she stared into a bottle of cheap vodka. She was surrounded by an ominous stack of clipboards with her.

Yuuri wondered if he could leave before she spotted him.

Minako turned her head in his direction and held up a clipboard with a smirk in his direction. "We can either deliver these now or after the World Championship replay is done on TV."

Yuuri groaned and covered his face with his hands."I knew I was forgetting something. Isn't Mari supposed to do this?"

"Mari didn't give birth to the cute new Katsuki baby. You know it's tradition for new parents to deliver the news clipboards to the neighborhood zones with their new baby. The town is thirsty for news." Minako held up her shot glass in his direction. "So thirsty."

Yuuri took a deep breath and sat seiza next to Minako. He reached for the bottle and refilled her shot glass. "Let's get it over with tomorrow." Yuuri eyed the zamboni making its way across the rink on TV. "Which championship are they playing?" He made it five minutes into the replay of Victor's win at Juniors before he was struck with the desperate need to skate.

The Ice Castle ice rink looked exactly how Yuuri remembered it. The door even squeaked the same way. He was busy looking from the stain on the carpet where he skinned his knee, when he heard a polite cough from the corner of the room.

Yuuko was at the counter. He knew without question that it was her. Same hair. Same shoulders. Same ears that stuck out just the slightest bit to the side. He had known that she married Takeshi but he hadn't been able to make it back for the wedding. He waited a little too long to say hello and felt himself cringe from his own awkwardness.

Yuuko opened her mouth and then hesitated, reading something in Yuuri's face. She reached under the counter and pulled out a set of keys. "Come on in, Yuuri. The rink is always open for you." She smiled at him as she walked around the counter. "It's good to have you home."

Yuuri took a step and then turned towards her. "Will you come with me? There's a routine I want you to see."

Yuuri only needed a couple minutes to get his skates on. Yuuko held out her hand when he pulled the protectors off the blades. He had missed this.

He did a few loops to warm up as Yuuko cheered him on. "Wait, I'll start in a minute." He slowed to a stop in the center and carefully put himself in the starting position for Victor's routine to "Stay With Me." Somehow, in the midst of his depressed, the song had become his safety blanket. He played it to help Shouri sleep. He went through the routine to calm him down when rocking wouldn't work. It was the closest he would ever be to being with Victor.

The entire routine felt like Yuuri was flying. Like he was flying with Victor and all the failures he's made in the past year were meaningless. There was a moment when his ankle buckled dangerously when he over rotated his second triple axel, but even that felt like he had Victor's smile cheering him on. As he slowed into the final mark, Yuuri could have sworn he heard the final notes of the music.

Yuuri was startled when he heard his friend cheer at the end "I used to practice with Shouri," Yuuri explained. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Yuuko nodded, giving him an sympathetic look. "I did the same thing with my girls," she said.

Yuri was startled when the triplets all popped up next to their mother. It's like a demonic summoning, he thought, staring at them. He hadn't even noticed them come in.

"Hey Fatso, still got the baby weight I see!" yelled a familiar voice behind him.

Yuuri didn't even get a chance to skate out of reach when he saw an arm yank up his shirt and start patting at his belly. If he hadn't recognized the voice, this time of handsy fooling around would have been a dead give away for Takeshi.

The triplets popped into the rink as well, not hesitating for a second to touch Yuuri's belly. He sighed. They were definitely Takeshi's kids. He could feel himself turning bright red for embarrassment. Takeshi was such a jerk. Yuuri tried to send Yuuko a pleading look.

"Okay, that's it everyone one. Knock it off," she said, not bothering to move from where she was watching them.

Takeshi peeled his daughters away, laughing as he moved. "You're welcome here any time. The Nishigori family's got your back. I'll even watch your kid while you skate."

The triplets yelled out their encouragement and demands to see Shouri. He managed to choke out a, "Sure" only to have the triplets start demanding skating tips instead.

He was barely been on the ice for two hours before Nana showed with the most hideous brint pink cheetah print jacket. "Come on, fuckwit. It's Mom's Night Out and we're going drinking at the West Gate! It's dan-dan night."

The triplets howled in protest. Yuuri felt a stab of anxiety as he looked between Nana and the girls.

Yuuko let out an exasperated sigh. "It's always dan-dan night. Alright, girls. It's bedtime. Your father's going to take you home and tuck you into bed."

Takeshi pointedly held the rink door open. "It's eight on a school day and you are not staying up past your bedtime." He leaned over and kissed Yuuko on the cheek. "Have fun, honey. Take my jacket. It's got to be worth at least five drinks."

Yuuko grabbed Takeshi's jacket off the bleachers. "Come on folks. Drinks are on Takeshi."


	4. Chapter 4

The West Gate Vintage Clothing Store had a closed sign illuminated in the display window next to the propped open front door. Yuuri squinted to see if he could spot the owner's white hair and threadbare kimono. Instead, there was a shock of black dreadlocks under neon lights and an obnoxious pair of slitted frames blocking a face with a square jaw. "Is that...?" Yuuri asked cautiously, glancing at Nana as he spoke.

Nana scowled, glaring at the man at the counter. "Yeah, it's the pig."

There wasn't anything else to say as they stepped into the store. The store had been redecorated since the last time Yuuri had seen it. The faded Atuy and Shizuru Ohtaka posters had been replaced by creased Bob Marley prints and signed Chieko Beauty posters.

Kobayashi Inoichi took the sunglasses off his face and gave them a cool look. Yuuri saw that what he had mistaken for dreadlocks was in fact a hate designed to mimic the appearance. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Yuuri had a flashback to his memories of Kobayashi playing Yakuza and pushing the other kids around for fun. Yuuri hadn't thought Kobayashi could get worse. Obviously, he had been wrong, Yuuri thought as he took in the shredded jeans and the sickly smell radiating off of Kobayashi.

"Hey there Nishigori-san and Kobayashi," Kobayashi said in a bored tone. "Here to trade for a drink?"

"No, Kobayashi-san," Nana hissed, emphasizing the honorific. "We just like your company."

Kobayashi leans to the side and eyes Yuuri, looking him up and down with an intensity that has Yuuri frozen in place. "Is that baby Katsuki-san?"

"Are you going to let us in or not?" Nana snapped throwing her purse down on the counter.

Kobayashi picked up the purse and carefully inspected the inner lining. After turning it over twice, he nodded. "This is enough for two."

Nana reached for the purse just as he snatched it out of reach. "Bullshit, that's four easy."

"Two, Kobayashi-san, or you can take your knock off Gucci and drink at home." Kobayashi glanced at Yuuri and his lips pressed into a smile that raised the hair on the back of Yuuri's neck. Kobayashi pulled one wooden chip out from behind the counter and placed it like a directly in front of Yuuri. "One drink on me, Katsuki. Welcome home."

Kobayashi took two more wooden chips out from under the counter and dropped them in Yuuko's waiting hand.

Nana huffed and pushed past all of them to force her way through the swinging door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY.

Yuuko murmured a soft thank you and picked up third chip from the counter, with a sotfly murmured, "Thank you."

On the other side of the swinging door, nothing had changed since the last time Yuuri was there. The walls were still old wallpaper of flowers. The floors were still stained and sticky wood. There was a crowd of people in various states of dress dancing on the makeshift dance floor. The reggae music felt out of place, but if Kobayashi was running things, it wasn't too surprising.

Nana plopped down in the bar seat and sprawled out with both elbows out the counter. She motioned towards the bartender.

Yuuko rolled her eyes and leaned over the bar, until she caught the attention of Kabayashi's sister Hana, and ordered a round of soju for everyone.

"So what are you doing back, Katsu-chan. Aren't you like, full fledged profession ice gay now? I thought the ice gays lived in Tokyo." Nan said, eyebrows peaked up in interest.

Yuuri blushed and tucked his head down. He took a drink to try and draw things out, in hopes Yuuko would say something but she stared at him expectantly. When he looked up from his glass, even Kobayashi Hana was staring at him for an answer.

It was the same way his rinkmates had stared at him when he admitted that he was going back to Japan. He felt a horrible cold creeping out from his center. He looked down at the scratched out counter. "I couldn't keep skating in Detroit," he said, feeling worse with every word. "Not with Shouri and- "

Yuuri's throat closed up before he could get another word out. He clutched his drink a little tighter.

"What the fuck ever, Katsu-chan, glad to have you back." Nana's voice said cheerfully. Yuuri looked up in time to see Nana pull her shirt off to reveal a tube top underneath. "Another drink for my friend, Kobayashi-san."

Yuuko places her hand over Yuuri's wrist and gives it a squeeze. "And six more tokens, please." Yuuko said, taking off Takeshi's jacket and tossing it on the counter.

Kobayashi Hana glanced over the shirt, tossing another chip on the counter and then reached for the jacket to hold up and read the label. Her eyes went wide. "Eight chips." She said, snatching the jacket out of sight and placing an entire bottle of Oiji Negroni in front of them. "Enjoy."

Yuuko took the opportunity to pour a round of drink and start filling Yuuri in on everything that he missed about the triplets in the past year, with random interjections from Nana. He learned that the girls had become something of a nightmare for their teachers and had to be seperated at all times at school or they'd do something ridiculous, like try to leave chickens in all the restrooms. Nana, also tried to fill Yuuri in on everything that had gone right and wrong over the last few years she spent touring with her band. By the end of the night, Yuuri had no idea how many bands she had been in, or which of the people she talked about were still in the actual band. Oddly enough, Yuuko who had been known for her hatred of rock music, seemed to know everyone Nana was referring to and took to interjecting into Nana's stories to correct the band names.

They finished two and a half bottles of soju between them and traded away so many clothes, that they all left in their underwear and socks.

Yuuri woke up the next morning, with a brutal hangover to the sound of his phone buzzing. There's a sea of text from his old rinkmates and from his school friends. Even JJ, who he had barely spoke to in his life, had taken the time to text him a thumbs up emoji.

He looked through the different text until he found one from Phichit that included a link and a series of questions marks with no actual words.

He clicked the link.

It took him a minute to realize that the footage he was watching was himself doing Victor's routine on Youtube. The video was posted with Yuuko's youtube account and the hit count was-

354,056 and climbing at a rapid enough pace that the numbers were blurring. The time stamp in the corner made it clear that it had only been up for a couple hours.

Yuuri, hungover and still a little too drunk to handle his own terror, crawled into bed and fervertently tried to pretend the video didn't exist. He managed to fall asleep for another two hours before he got a call from Takeshi, apologizing to Yuuri for his daughters turning him into an internet sensation. Takeshi explained that in addition to the original footage, someone had taken the video and added music, someone else added sound effects, other people had created memes. Yuuri made the mistake of checking his texts while Takeshi apologized on speaker phone. He found a text from JJ with a particularly horrifying screenshot of himself with with angry font saying "NOTICE ME SENPAI," with his face contorted during a Salchow.

He decided that getting out of bed was a terrible idea and decided to wrap himself into a blanket burrito to wait for death.

Minako came instead, opening his door with a loud clatter and yelling at Yuuri to get up and get dressed because he had promised to go with her to make the rounds of kairanban with her and no Youtube fame was going to get him out of it.

They wound up leaving late. Even without showering, Yuuri managed to hold them up by spending too much time cuddling Shouri when he got him back from his mother and insisting on triple checking Shouri's diaper bag before they left to make the neighborhood rounds.

They went to a dozen houses together, dropping off clipboards with the local news and taking care to stop at every keystone house to let people coo over Shouri. Yuuri let Minako do most of the talking and whenever someone brought up the Youtube video, Yuuri found an excuse to leave. Not that many people did. Most of the family's they visited had older relatives at him during the day. Those people seemed to mostly be interested in asking questions about Shouri's other parent. Things became very uncomfortably very quickly when it became apparent Yuuri wouldn't give them any information. Mostly because even Yuuri didn't know the identity of the other parent.

There was a distinct sense of humiliation and self-hatred that came with not knowing anything about the parent of his baby. Yuuri wasn't one for casual sex, but he had only had one encounter during the window of time that he could have been conceived. One night with a stranger whose name and face he can't remember.

He doesn't know how much of his misery shows on his face, but he must have been showing some of it because Minako shot him more and more worried looks as their pile of clipboards became shorter and shorter.

Finally, after they dropped off the last clipboard with Sun Iseya, Minako followed Yuuri back home, insisting she wanted to borrow something off of Yuuri's mother. The excuse was flimsy but Yuuri was too tired to argue against it. He made his excuses and went straight to his room to curl up in bed with Shouri tucked into his side and focus on the one good thing Yuuri had ever done, his son.


End file.
